Ball valves, gate valves and other similar mechanisms are used commonly in flow applications such as fire systems, refineries, power plants, etc. Ball valves generally employ a “T” shaped or lever handle to allow a user to selectively open and close the valve. Many state and municipal codes require that the valves are positioned in a predetermined location, and often require that the valve remain in the “open” position thereby guaranteeing that water will be available when it is needed. It is conceivable that a terrorist or criminal could turn the valve to the closed position and light a fire, thereby wasting precious time of the fire fighters and putting lives at risk.
Furthermore, with the risk of increased terrorist activity, there is an increased concern regarding the safety of municipal water treatment facilities, and the ability to safely prevent the introduction of a deadly biological or chemical reagant. Thus, there is an increased need to provide a locking mechanism which is simplistic in design, relatively inexpensive and can be placed on valve assemblies to prevent the unauthorized opening or closing of the valve.
Valve locks are known in the art and are used widely. However, the majority of locks in use today are not tamper-resistant. Most valve handles are interconnected to a valve body by way of a nut. Generally, available locks do not protect the nut from tampering or being removed. That is, one can simply bypass many locks by loosening the nut and removing the handle. The open/closing mechanism is then exposed and capable of being selectively altered with commonly used tools. Alternatively, maintenance personnel routinely disconnect the handle thereby “locking” the valve in a predetermined position. However, simple tools can still be used to adjust the valve position or often the handles become misplaced.
Furthermore, some valves may include locks which are designed specifically for a given model and size of valve and associated handle. These locks are not adapted to be used with valves constructed by other manufacturers. Moreover, many locks require some alteration of the valve body, handle, or both, which is not practical.
Thus, there is a long felt need in the field of fire prevention, plumbing, terrorism prevention, and law enforcement (statutory water restrictions) to provide a tamper-resistant valve locking mechanism that is cost effective, easy to use and manufacture, and is adapted to be used with many brands and sizes of valves.